Hyundai-Kia Will Release IONIQ 6 And Seltos In The US In The First End Of Next Year

Photo: Doc. Antara/Hyundai

JAKARTA - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group will launch the IONIQ 6 SUV and the Seltos SUV in the United States next year.

Hyundai Motor Co. plans to introduce IONIQ 6, the second model embedded with EV-only global-electric modular platform (E-GMP), after IONIQ 5, in the US in the first half of 2023, the company said in a statement. a statement as reported by Antara, Sunday, November 20.

The smaller Hyundai affiliate, Kia Corp. also plans to release the Seltos subcompact SUV in the first half, after launching a purely high-performance electric EV6 GT model in the world's most important car market this week.

EV6 GT comes with a 77.4 kWh battery and can cover a distance of up to 342 kilometers on a single charge. The acceleration is from zero to 100 km in just 3.5 seconds. Equipped with an E-GMP platform.

The two automakers made announcements during the Los Angeles Auto Show 2022 scheduled from November 17-27 at the LA Convention Center.

Hyundai Motor plans to launch 17 electric vehicle models by 2030, including six Genesis models, with Kia scheduled to release 14 electric vehicles by 2027.

Hyundai owns a car factory in Alabama and Kia owns one in Georgia.

In May, Hyundai Motor Group announced it would invest $5.54 billion to build a special electric vehicle and car battery plant in Georgia, with the aim of starting production in the first half of 2025.

Hyundai and Kia aim to sell 3.23 million electric vehicles, including 840,000 units in the US, by 2030 to reach 12 percent of the global electric vehicle market.

From January to October, sales of automakers in the US fell 6.1 percent to 1,210,559 vehicles from 1,289,608 units during the same period last year amid an extended chip shortage.

Their sales proceeds were partly influenced by the ratification of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides tax credit of up to USD 7,500 to electric vehicle buyers who are only assembled in North America.

The move has sparked concerns that Hyundai and Kia could lose their position in the US market, as they build electric vehicles in domestic factories to be exported to the US, Yonhap broadcast Friday 18 November.